PLANT PROTECTION 1 – Pests, Diseases and Weeds

PLANT PROTECTION 1 – Pests, Diseases and Weeds
INTEGRATED DISEASE MANAGEMENT (IDM)
MAIN STEPS
PLAN
PLAN
PLAN
?
X
1. Plan an IDM program in advance. One that fits your situation and the particular
type of problem. Keep records of the crop, eg source of planting material, planting
and sowing dates, temperature, irrigation, fertilizer and pesticide records.
2. Crop, region. IDM programs are available for problems on a range of crops in
many regions. Check if an IDM program is available for your problem(s) on your
crop or in your region, eg
Best Management Practice Guidelines are available for a range of crops.
Nursery Industry Accreditation Scheme www.nasaa.com.au
Australian government publications and websites www.nrm.gov.au/
Water management strategies for commercial crops, eg peanuts. Home
gardeners can access various waterwise programs (Walsh 2004).
AS 6000—2009. Organic and Biodynamic Products www.standards.org.au/
Organic Federation of Australia www.ofa.org.au/
Biological Farmers of Australia www.bfa.com.au/
3. Identification of non-parasitic problems can be difficult. Understanding
conditions favouring the problem is necessary for solving the problem. Identify frostprone
or poorly drained areas or pockets, physically map or mark areas. Obtain
relevant Fact Sheets. Sophisticated programs such Plant Efficiency Analysis
measure and interpret chlorophyll fluorescence emissions from leaves of plants
before visible symptoms of stress appear. Consult a diagnostic service if necessary
that can perform various tests and provide advice (page xiv).
4. Monitoring. Know when, where, what and how to monitor. Know what you
can regularly monitor and record, eg symptoms on leaves or fruits, impact of
problem, distribution in the field. Arrange regular soil, plant and water tests if
necessary and have the results interpreted correctly.
Early warning systems used by commercial growers to predict frost, etc.
Microclimate and soil maps may help predict problems in your area. Probes
are available for soil moisture and compaction.
Global positioning systems (GPS) and foot slog mapping can indicate spread
of a problem, eg salinity.
5. Threshold. This may be decided for you by legislative requirements. Your own
threshold will depend on economic, aesthetic and/or environmental factors. Do you
need to calculate your own threshold?
6. Action/control. Many non-parasitic problems are preventable, so avoid overfertilization,
planting poor quality seed, etc. Apply pesticides and other chemicals
according to label directions for use. It may be necessary to cease certain activities,
or modify fertilizer and irrigation regimes, drainage methods or pesticide use.
Australian government publications and websites provide vast amounts of
information on sustainable agriculture and horticulture, controlling salinity,
conserving biodiversity etc. Record your actions.
7. Evaluation. Review the IDM program. Make improvements if necessary which
may involve continued monitoring.
PLAN
PLAN
PLAN
PLAN
CROP,
REGION
Each crop
has its own
disease
complex.
List diseases
(and pests
and weeds)
that affect
your crop
IDENTIFY
PROBLEM
Enquiry
Which plant sp.
Examine plant
Check history
References
Expert advice
Diagnosis
Fact sheet for
each problem
MONITOR
When to monitor?
Where to monitor?
What to count, eg
soil tests, moisture,
temperature?
How to count?
Keep records
THRESHOLD
Economic?
Aesthetic?
Complaints?
Is there a threshold
for this problem
above which
controls must be
implemented?
Is it compulsory?
ACTION
CONTROL
Decision making
?
Legislation
Cultural
Sanitation
Biological
Tolerance
Quarantine
Physical etc
Pesticides
Organic, BMP
Combinations
EVALUATION
Did you achieve
the disease
control you
wanted?
Can the IDM be
improved?
YES/NO?
Fig. 246. Steps in IDM.
Non-parasitic pests and diseases 399